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Kyra Parker
Kyra Nicole Parker (born January 1, 1994) is an American volleyball player for the Chicago Tanagers of the Women's National Volleyball Association (WNVA), the third women's professional volleyball league ever in the United States, and the United States women's national volleyball team. After appearing for the United States senior national team at 2011 Pan-American Volleyball Cup, Parker was one of the 12 players chosen to represent the United States at the 2012 London Olympics. At 18, she became the youngest female player to be selected and play for the U.S. national team. She received the U.S. Volleyball Young Female Player of the Year. Parker played collegiate volleyball with the University of Kentucky Wildcats from 2012 to 2015. She was a member of the team that won the 2014 World Championship and member of the Kentucky women's volleyball team. She recorded the first ever volleyball quintuple-double (11 kills, 25 assists, 15 digs, 10 blocks and 10 service aces in 2009). Described as the most famous volleyball player in history, Parker is considered instrumental in popularizing another professional volleyball (men and women's) league in the United States. Following her collegiate career, Parker was selected first overall by the Chicago Tanagers in the 2016 WNVA College Draft that took place on January 11, 2016. Parker helped the United States win their titles at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics and 2018 World Championship. In 2018, Parker was ranked by Time as the top-paid American women's volleyball player, largely due to her numerous endorsement deals. On December 29, 2019, The Associated Press named Parker as its Female Athlete of the Decade for the 2010s. Off the field, Parker rose to fame in the late 2000s as one of the lead singers of School Gyrls, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time as well as the acquisition of her own reality television series, The First Family. Early Life Born to Lena and Kevin Parker in Chicago, Illinois, Kyra was raised with her two brothers, Paul and Jeff and four sisters Mariah, Leilani, Kara, and Kayla. Her father served 21 years in prison. Kyra was introduced to volleyball through her younger sister Kara. The Parker sisters played youth volleyball for the Chicago Elite Club; Kyra played for the 1990s side and Kara played for the 1992. Regarding Kyra's switch to the sport, Parker stated that "it ended up being the best decision she's ever made." At age 14, she moved to Washington D.C., to live in the White House with the Obama Family when her mother became their personal chef. In high school, Parker spent one year at Walter Payton College Prep High School, where she led the school to the state semifinals and was named National Freshman of the Year before transferring to Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C. At Sidwell, she lost only two matches in three seasons and helped lead her team to Independent School League champions in 2009, 2010, and 2011, and is also the first player at any level in history to be officially credited with scoring a quintuple-double. The teams she played on in 2010 and 2011 went undefeated and were ranked number one in the nation. She was name the National Sophomore of the Year by PrepVolleyball.com’s. Parker is the second two-time award winner of the Gatorade Female Volleyball Player of the Year Award, winning the award in 2010 and 2011. Kentucky Wildcats (2012–2015) Parker attended University of Kentucky and majored in physics. She became the first player in school history to earn National Freshman of the Year and set the Kentucky single season aces record with 91. As a sophomore in 2013, Parker set the NCAA Tournament record for aces in tournament play with 22 including Kentucky single match record for aces with 10. She was led the Wildcats to the first championship game appearance in school history. Her squad finished as NCAA runners-up to Penn State. In 2014, which was her junior year, Parker missed eight matches while playing for the United States national volleyball team at the 2014 World Championship in Italy. Parker is the first woman in the history of Kentucky athletics to appear in the international competition and then return to compete for Kentucky, the club obtained a 36–1 record overall. Their only loss in came in the last match of the season in the NCAA final, which was Kentucky's second consecutive runner-up finish. She was named the AVCA National Player of the Year and was inducted into UK’s prestigious Frank G. Ham Society of Character. During her senior season, Parker was named the AVCA National Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and was the first-ever unanimous pick for CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team. She was named SEC Player of the Year, Capital One Academic All-American Of The Year, and became the only player in school history to be four-time All-American. Parker was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team for the third time in her four years at Kentucky, as Kentucky lost to Nebraska in the National Championship match. Overall, Parker finished her career as the Kentucky's all-time career leader in assists (5,936) and is second all-time in NCAA history with 427 career aces. Club Career Chicago Tanagers, 2016– In 2015, Parker was a founding player in the fourth professional women's volleyball league in the United States, the Women's National Volleyball Association (WNVA). Parker was hailed as the star of the league and used heavily in marketing and promotion. In a poll of 1,000 advertising executives conducted in 2015, she was voted "the most appealing female athlete", garnering almost twice as many votes as the runner-up Serena Williams. On January 11, 2016, Parker was the number one pick in the 2016 WNVA College Draft (the league's inaugural draft) by the Chicago Tanagers. She made her first appearance for the team on March 5 in a match against the Houston Aeros. Parker made twelve appearances for the Tanagers during the 2016 season before joining the national team in preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Parker returned to the Tanagers for the 2017 season. On April 26, 2017, she scored two aces in a match against Lincoln Terriers helping the Tanagers win 3–1. She was subsequently named WNVA Player of the Week for week 5 of the season. On August 1, 2017, Parker scored three aces in the first set, in the Tanagers' victory over the visiting Houston Aeros. She finished the month with sixteen aces, earning her the league Player of the Month award. The Tanagers finished second in the regular season with an 17–7 record and were defeated 2–3 by New York Queens during the semi-finals. Unable to play in the 2018 season due to pregnancy, Parker missed almost half of the WNVA season due to commitments with the United States women's national team in 2019. At the end of the 2019 season, Parker and the Tanagers made their first appearance in the WNVA Championship against the Los Angeles Xtreme. They were defeated 3–2 during the final. International In 2011, while still in high school, Parker was called up to the national team for the first training camp of 2011 from May 5 to 21 leading up to the 2011 Pan-American Volleyball Cup. At 17, she was the youngest player to debut for the national team since Logan Tom's debut in 1998. She played every set of all eight games of the tournament and U.S. placed third. Parker competed in 2012 Pan-American Cup she was awarded Best Server after she set a new serving record in a single match, first with 11 aces in the pool play against Canada, then 12 aces in the gold medal match over Brazil. She was also awarded Best Setter of the tournament. Following a successful run at Pan-American Volleyball Cup, Parker was named to the 12–player team that would represent the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England and became the youngest player to be named to an Olympic roster for the United States. Parker started for the first time in the quarterfinal against the Dominican Republic, replacing an injured Lindsey Berg. She became the youngest United States player to start an Olympic match. The United States went on to win the silver medal. On December 18, Parker was named the 2012 U.S. Volleyball Young Female Player of the Year. At the 2013 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix, Parker played in the preliminary round but missed the rest of the tournament due to commitments with the Kentucky Wildcats. Parker spent two months deciding if she wanted to stay with her college team in the build-up to the 2014 World Championship. She made the decision to play in Worlds because she was only missing two weeks of matches. The United States went on to win the gold medal defeating China 3–1 in the final match where she played every set of all matches of the tournament and was subsequently named Best Setter. Parker was part of the USWNT that won its sixth FIVB World Grand Prix in 2015. Again, she missed the rest of the tournaments due to commitments with Kentucky. On July 12, 2016, Parker was named to the 12–player team that would represent the United States at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, her team won their first Olympic gold medal witnessed by 35,000 fans in the stadium – the largest crowd for a volleyball event in the history of the Olympics. She was voted Best Setter for the tournament. For her excellence on the field, U.S. Volleyball announced Parker as the 2016 Female Athlete of the Year. Parker's exploits have also earned her a place on the Associated Press Player shortlist, ultimately finished third in voting. Just three months after giving birth, she was named to the final roster for the 2018 World Championship in Japan, marking her second appearance. Parker was awarded the tournament's Best setter; finishing as the joint-top assist leader. She was named to the Best XI for the the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup, the U.S. won the tournament. Other Work Music and television series In 2005, Parker joined her younger sister, Kayla Parker, ask her and their sister Kara to form a music group. They considered naming their group "Parker sisters" before settling on the name School Gyrls. The group's debut album reached #33 on the Billboard 200 and was certified double-platinum, selling more than 15 million copies in the United States alone. In November 2008, the group added President Barack Obama's daughters and they released their Christmas album, Schooly Christmas, and released their second studio album New Life which also became certified double-platinum. The group earned numerous two Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, and four BET Awards. In 2010, it was announced that a reality television show for the CNN channel had been commissioned to follow Parker's and her family's life, issued under the working title The First Family. The show premiered on May 25, 2010. Endorsements Parker has signed several endorsement deals with businesses including Adidas, Panasonic, Verizon, Chobani, McDonald's, P&G, Mondelez International, and Sprite. Time named Parker the highest paid American women's volleyball player in June 2016 attributed mostly to her endorsement deals. In July 2016, she signed a one-year endorsement deal with Bank of America. In January 2017, Parker and national teammate Jordan Larson became brand ambassadors for health product company, GNC. The same year, she appeared in television commercials for Bridgestone. She joined a two-year partnership as the spokesperson for ChapStick in October. In 2019, she starred in a Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company commercial that was broadcast nationwide in the United States. She appeared in commercials for Chobani in 2019. In May 2019, Parker joined the team of ambassadors at Molecule, an athlete recovery mattress and bedding company. In 2016, Parker joined UNICEF Kid Power as a UNICEF Kid Power Champion, in an effort to fight global malnutrition and as well as raise awareness among kids, via the world's first "wearable for good", created by UNICEF. In popular culture Magazines Parker has been featured in a number of magazines. In the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, she appeared in a section composed of athletes in water. In May 2017, Parker was featured on the cover of ESPN Magazine with teammates Foluke Akinradewo and Alisha Glass. The same year, she appeared on multiple covers of Sports Illustrated. She appeared for a second time in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2018. Parker posed for one of the three 2019 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers, the other cover models being Tyra Banks and Camille Kostek. She has appeared on the covers of Health and Self magazines. She has been featured in Shape, Vogue, Elle, Time, and Fortune. Parker stated that there was never a time in her life when she struggled with being dark-skinned. "I never noticed colorism until I went to my sister's photoshoot. My family never made skin color a big deal we were all black and beautiful, I love my skin color and I hope my status helps dark woman embrace their color." Media appearances In 2013, Parker co-starred with sisters Leilani Mitchell and Kara Parker in a television commercial promoting ESPN's SportsCenter. In 2014, Parker appeared in the ESPN documentary series, Nine for IX. The Nine for IX documentary, The fourteeners, in which she appeared focused on the success and legacy of the national team squad that won the 2014 FIVB Women's World Championship. In January 2015, she guest-starred on an episode of Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn entitled The Quad Test. In April 2015, Parker joined Kelsey Robinson on American Idol to announce that the show's season winner would record the official song for Fox's coverage of the 2015 FIVB Women's World Cup. In May of the same year, her likeness appeared on The Simpsons along with Kelly Murphy and Alisha Glass. Parker was a presenter at the 2015 ESPY Awards. Parker and teammate Jordan Larson were guests on Live with Kelly and Michael following the 2016 Summer Olympics in September 2016. In 2018, Parker made an appearance in the music video for the Maroon 5 song "Girls Like You", which features Cardi B. She was joined by fellow athletes Danica Patrick, Aly Raisman and Chloe Kim who also appeared in the video. Ticker tape parade and White House honor Following the United States' win at the 2014 FIVB Women's World Championships, Parker and her teammates became the first women's sports team to be honored with a ticker tape parade in New York City. Each player received a key to the city from Mayor Bill de Blasio. In December of the same year, the team was honored by President Barack Obama at the White House. Personal Life Parker's fiancé is Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal. She gave birth to a son, Deuce, on July 23, 2018. In November 2019, the two announced they were expecting a baby boy in April 2020. Parker later said that, despite impending motherhood, she still wanted to play at the 2020 Olympics. Her older cousin is Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Parker is a Christian. She grew up in a church, wears a cross necklace and reads the bible. "Even though I’ve got a lot of awards and honors, it’s nothing compared to what the Lord has done to my heart and what He’s done for the world" and "I’m grateful to have the platform of an elite student-athlete and professional volleyball player, and I want to do His will with my life."'''' Discography Main article: School Gyrls discography Filmography Honors and awards See also: List of awards and nominations received by School Gyrls Club * WNVA Best XI: 2017 * WNVA Second XI: 2016, 2019 International * Olympic Gold Medal: 2016 * Olympic Silver Medal: 2012 * FIVB Women's World Championship: 2014, 2018 * Pan-American Volleyball Cup: 2011, 2012 * World Grand Prix: 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 * Nations League: 2018, 2019 * FIVB World Cup: 2015, 2019 * World Grand Cup: 2017 * NORCECA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2016, 2019 * ESPY Award Best Team: 2015 Individual * Pan-American Cup Best Server: 2012 * ESPY Award Best Female Athlete: 2016 * ESPY Award Best Moment nominee: 2015 * Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year, Team Sport: 2014 * U.S. Volleyball Athlete of the Year: 2014, 2016 * AP Athlete of the Year finalist: 2016 * The Best FIVB Women's Player: 2019 (finalist) * Women's National Volleyball Association Second Best XI: 2017, 2019 * NORCECA Player of the Year: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 * USWNT All-Time Best XI: 2015 * Olympic Best Setter: 2016 * FIVB World Championship Best Setter: 2014 * U.S. Volleyball Young Female Athlete of the Year: 2012 *Gatorade National Female Athlete Player of the Year: 2012 *Gatorade National Female Volleyball Player of the Year: 2010, 2011 See also * List of Olympic medalists in volleyball * List of FIVB Women's World Championships medalists * USWNT All-Time Best XI * List of 2016 Summer Olympics medal winners * List of 2012 Summer Olympics medal winners * List of University of Kentucky alumni in sports References External links P